Conventional surgical staplers that can be used to simultaneously make longitudinal incisions in tissue and apply lines of staples on opposing sides of the incisions are known in the art. Such instruments commonly include a pair of cooperating jaw members that, when employed in endoscopic or laparoscopic applications, are capable of passing through a cannula passageway. One of the jaw members typically receives a staple cartridge having at least two laterally spaced rows of staples. The other jaw member defines an anvil having staple-forming pockets correspondingly aligned with the rows of staples in the cartridge. Such stapling instruments may also include a plurality of reciprocating wedges that pass through openings in the staple cartridge when driven and engage drivers supporting the staples to effect the firing of the staples toward the anvil and through tissue.
Examples of surgical staplers suitable for use with endoscopic applications are described in U.S. patent application No. US 2004/0232196 A1. In operation of the surgical stapler, a clinician closes or clamps the jaw members of the stapler on tissue to position the tissue prior to firing or activation of the stapler. Once the clinician has determined that the jaw members are clamping the tissue in a desired position, then the surgical stapler can be fired by the clinician to create an incision in the tissue and at the same time staple tissue surrounding the incision. This simultaneous action of the stapler avoids complications that often arise when the severing and stapling operations are performed sequentially (or at different times) with different surgical tools (i.e., one device is used to sever the tissue, and then another device is used to staple the tissue).
In general, application of certain medical agents to tissue incisions can promote healing, reduce the possibility of infection, and/or promote proper sealing of the incisions. If assisted by the action of such medical agents, many surgical staplers could achieve better surgical results with respect to enhanced healing, improved infection resistance, and improved sealing of tissue incisions. However, the structure of many conventional surgical staplers, and the procedures in which such staplers are employed, do not leverage the benefits of medical agents or systems that dispense medical agents.
In view of the foregoing, there is a need for improved surgical instruments and medical agent dispensing systems than can more effectively and efficiently promote closure, treatment, and healing of tissue incisions severed and stapled during operations involving surgical staplers.